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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · spell · cap · arm · present · field · dip · last

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — magic
  4. dip — to sink
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cap — a hat
  9. last — to go on
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — finally
  13. cap — a lid
  14. present — the time now
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. clip — a video
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. field — farmland
  21. present — there
  22. clip — for paper
  23. last — final
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com